Things to Know Before Renting Your First Apartment

For most young adults, an apartment is their first home away from home. Since most of us have neither the financial means nor physical need to own a home at the outset of adulthood, an apartment is essentially the perfect residence. However, after living under your parents’ roof for so long, apartment life can be a bit of an adjustment. Fortunately, as long as you know what you’re in for, this adjustment phase should prove perfectly painless.

You’re Going to Hear Your Neighbors

First-time apartment dwellers are often surprised by how clearly they’re able to hear their neighbors. Unless they’re excessively loud, you probably won’t be able to hear their conversations, but you will hear them walking around and using noisy appliances, like garbage disposals and vacuum cleaners. Additionally, if your apartment is located directly beneath someone else’s, you can expect to hear their footsteps quite clearly. If this is your first time residing in an apartment, all these sounds will prove distracting at first, but within a few weeks, they’ll mostly just function as background noise.

You’ll Need to Keep Your Personal Volume in Check

As previously stated, many apartment dwellers are able to hear various sounds emanating from their neighbors’ apartments. However, this doesn’t mean that noise pollution is acceptable in apartment buildings. There’s a difference between everyday noises and unnecessarily loud ones. As such, you’ll need to avoid listening to excessively loud music and watching television at uncomfortably loud volumes. It’s also recommended that you avoid hosting wild parties and other large gatherings. Being a noise polluter will earn the scorn of your neighbors and is likely to facilitate complaints to the landlord.

Renters in the market for1 bedroom apartments in Omaha should familiarize themselves with each building’s policy on excessive noise-making. This will provide you with a good understanding of what distinguishes acceptable volume levels from outright noise pollution.

You Must Keep the Property in Good Condition

When residing in an apartment, it’s important to understand that you do not own this property. Sure, it’s easy to lose sight of this fact when you spend the bulk of your time there, but at the end of the day, you are simply renting the unit from its actual owner. With that in mind, it behooves you to take special care of the apartment and avoid causing damage to it. If it’s discovered that you’ve allowed the unit to fall into disrepair, your landlord is liable to keep your security deposit and possibly pursue legal action against you.

If you’ve never lived independently – or in an apartment – apartment life can take some time to adjust to. Unsurprisingly, residing in an apartment is a starkly different experience than living in a family home in the suburbs. While some young adults take to it immediately, others find it difficult to grow accustomed to. Learning what apartment life entails prior to signing your first lease will ensure that you’re well-prepared to tackle any challenges that come your way.